Profiles of the Legends: Dino Zoff

Profiles of the Legends: Dino Zoff
by Steve Amoia for Keeper Skool.

Dino Zoff was born in 1942 in Mariano del Fruili, which was a region in the far northeastern corner of the Italian peninsula. He was 1.82 meters in height or approximately 5′ 11 1/2 inches. Most of his club side football was played at Napoli and Juventus FC. He would later become a coach at the club and National levels. He was one of rare players to become President of a professional side: S.S. Lazio of Rome. He is affectionately known as “San Dino” for his memorable performances at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and is considered by many the best keeper ever to don the Azzurri #1 shirt. No doubt in the years to come, Gianluigi Buffon will challenge that opinion.

Professional Clubs

• Udinese: From 1961 to 1963.
• Mantova: From 1963 to 1967.
• Napoli: From 1967 to 1972.
• Juventus FC: From 1972 to 1983.

Playing Honors

• Oldest player to win the World Cup (age 40).
• Best Goalkeeper Award at World Cup 1982.
• Only the second goalkeeper to captain his team to a World Cup. (The first was another Italian, Giampiero Combi, in 1934).
• Record holder for the most minutes in international play without conceding a goal: 1142 minutes. That period of Italian football was characterized by “catenaccio,” or “the door bolt” tactical system of very defensive schemes. If an Italian team scored the first goal, they would retreat into a defensive shell and only counter-attack.
• Competed at four World Cups: 1970, 1974, 1978, and 1982.
• European Nations Cup champion with Italy in 1968 (the only time they have won this competition).
• World Cup winner with Italy in 1982.
• 112 caps for the Italian National team. (64 times as the captain). He is ranked third behind Paolo Maldini and Fabio Cannavaro.
• Six Serie A Scudetti with Juventus.
• Two Italian Cups with Juventus.
• One UEFA Cup with Juventus in 1977 (Their first European trophy).
• Until Paolo Maldini surpassed him, Zoff held the Serie A game record at 570.
• Named Italy’s Golden Player of the last 50 years in 2003 by the FIGC (The Italian FA).

Coaching Positions and Honors

• Juventus FC, S.S. Lazio, and Fiorentina. (He had two spells at Lazio. One was interrupted when he became the President of the club).
• 1990 UEFA Cup with S.S. Lazio.
• 1990 Italian Cup with S.S. Lazio.
• Manager of the Italian National team from 1998 to 2000.
• Silver medal at Euro 2000. (He resigned days after the final match against France).

1982 Second Round Group Game: Italy 3 x Brasil 2

This was one of the classic games in World Cup history. For many, this match was worthy of a World Cup final. Due to goal difference, Brasil only need a tie to advance to the semifinal round. This was deemed a “group of death,” since the other opponent was the defending champion, Argentina. World Cup Spain 1982 marked the first tournament with 24 teams, which were divided into six groups. The best two from each group advanced to the next round.

Quotes from Dino Zoff

“I played until the age of 41 just because I believe that it’s always possible to make improvements”.

“Someone wants me to pass for a coach with a too defensive mentality, but I have never been that prudent in my career. They should remember how many goals my teams have always used to score. Like when I was a player my only objective is to win”.

“I played against (John, a Welsh and Juventus legend) Charles and it sounds like prehistory. Then I played against (Omar) Sivori, Pele’ and Maradona. However the 2 forwards that I have been mostly afraid of were: (Gerd) Muller and (Johan) Cruijff.”

“I have never felt too confident and secure as a player, and now, when I look back at myself again I understand that I was right. I’m still not completely satisfied with what I have been able to do”.

“My father was a farmer and he used to toil in order to feed us. That’s why work is a sort of religion for me”.

“The national team means just Enzo Bearzot to me. It does my heart good to talk about him. He is a man of high moral stature, the best one that I have ever met in football”.

(Note: Enzo Bearzot was the manager of the Italian National Team that won the World Cup in 1982).

“I really miss a friend like (Gaetano) Scirea today. I feel poorer and it makes me angry to see that he received so many honours only after dying. Unfortunately in this world if you are a good, straightforward man you are just going to be considered banal”.

(Note: Gaetano Scirea, another legend of Italian calcio, tragically died in 1989 during a scouting trip to Poland for Juventus).

“As a coach I’ll try to teach more by setting good examples than by talking. It’s going to be like when I was a goalkeeper, I’ll have to take my decisions by myself”.

“A coach is not a manipulator of numbers and strategies. A coach is a leader. I start from the man. I believe in the man”.

Source: Solo Calcio.

Steve Amoia is the author and editor of World Football Commentaries, and writes for Soccerlens. He was the author of the World Cup History Test for Brainbench.

Are Goalkeepers Really Crazy?

If you’re a goalkeeper, and you’re reading this, then you’re probably crazy…in a good way I might add. You may have been called a little weird, a tad loopy or just plain bananas from your team mates and fans. Again, it’s completely sane to be insane as a goalkeeper. In fact, goalkeeping requires large doses of “crazy” to get you through the game and it is a completely healthy thing.

From Higuita to Schumacher in his day (any defender out there up for two knocked out front teeth?) or Grobbelaar with his “wobbly legs” dance, goalkeepers have utilized mad men mentality to get them through the intensity and pressure of the game. Who else would put their head in the way off an attackers boot? Yes, we do some crazy things as goalkeepers. But being individuals, and playing a role that is apart from every other player’s game on the field helps add fuel to the fire.

Again, the craziness that is goalkeeping is a good fire to fuel. Without pushing oneself out of their confines, how does one grow? Sounds very philosophical doesn’t it, but resonates a truth to the art form. Being able to be “different” gives the goalkeeper abilities that extend well beyond the field of play. Having to train with a different frame of mind, and having unique abilities that are apart from your team mates can transcend off the field as well.

So here here to being a “crazy” goalkeeper. Being a little bad from time to time, getting aggressive to win at all costs are hallmarks of great goalkeepers. I’ve never seen a great goalkeeper who won by always “being” nice, or whom has not competed intensely to grab hold of the number one jersey. Being nice all the time won’t score you browny points on the field or off it in the real world.

Goalkeepers are a little crazy, and rightly so. I’ll leave you with a great penalty save from one crazy Swede Thomas Ravelli, this guy was one great goalkeeper on the field, and generally one crazy dude off it. Enjoy.

Olyroos goalkeeper banned for striking official

Sunday, the Newcastle Jets defeated the Central Coast Mariners 1-0 in the Australian A-League grand final at the Sydney Football Stadium.

During the last minute of this match, Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic was sent off for violent conduct after an altercation with head referee Mark Shield, who has been voted the top match official in the Australian A-League in both (2005/06 and 2006/07) seasons since its inception.

Vukovic appeared to strike referee Shield in the arm after he failed to call a handball on the Jets in the dying seconds that would have resulted in a penalty and, presumably, send the match into extra time. Striker John Aloisi was booked for dissent in the incident, but Vukovic was rightfully shown a straight red card.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) have given the Central Coast goalkeeper a fifteen month ban, with the last six suspended on a probationary basis, for his actions. This means that he will not participate in any A-League matches until the 24th of November, and will have an additional six month ban possible with any other misbehavior in the following year.

Vukovic is scheduled to join the Australian National Team at the Olympics this summer in Beijing, but may not be allowed to do so. The FFA is considering extending the ban to include national team duty, which would make him ineligible for all Australian football until the end of the first nine months of his ban.

When asked about the incident, Senior National Team (Socceroos) coach Pim Verbeek said: “It’s stupid, there’s no doubt about that. We can be honest about that. He should have never done that. I think that’s one of the things players have to learn.”

“Hopefully he will learn from it and hopefully every player can learn from it because you can not accept things like that as a professional football player.”

However, the incident has not given Verbeek any cause to be concerned about the goalkeeper’s temperament.

“If he was 30 years old, I would say yes. But he’s still young. He always wants to win. But there are limits.”

This is the longest ban handed down in the Australian A-League’s young history. Vukovic has a week to appeal and will most likely be absent from the Olyroos’ squad for their friendly match in San Francisco, California against Mexico next week.

Tottenham goalkeeping drama continues

On Thursday night at White Hart Lane, Paul Robinson started for the first time in ten matches (with the captain’s armband, no less) and produced a couple of match-saving stops for Spurs on the return leg of their Uefa Cup round of 32 tie with Slavia Prague.

The match ended 1-1, but Tottenham went through 3-2 on aggregate because of their 2-1 victory in Prague a week ago. They will meet Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the next round.

The man who seemingly holds the number one jersey for now, Radek Cerny, was dropped for this match following his horrific error in Prague a week ago that cut Tottenham’s lead to only one goal coming in to this return leg.

Juande Ramos praised Paul Robinson’s efforts, saying: “He did everything he had to do. He had been a while without playing but I thought his performance tonight was magnificent.”

However, the question all observers will be asking after Robinson’s latest showing is: who will play in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday? Surely Spurs will want their strongest side on the pitch, especially after Avram Grant made it clear that Chelsea will be fielding a full-strength squad by sitting Frank Lampard and John Terry for their Champions League match with Olympiakos to preserve their energy.

If Ramos has a preference about who will play on Sunday, he certainly is not making it public.

“There are three days to decide who is going to play their part in the final. The decision hasn’t been taken yet but I know that whoever plays in goal will do the best he can.”

Fabio Capello was also in the stands, provoking the thought that if Robinson’s performance wasn’t good enough to earn a Cup Final appearance on Sunday, it may have been enough to earn an England recall. Each manager will have their own opinion, and they will make decisions based on them.

England in need of a solid number one goalkeeper

Although Fabio Capello selected David James as the starting goalkeeper in England’s recent 2-1 win over Switzerland, the new manager doesn’t really have a first choice keeper at the moment.

“Only 38 percent of the players [in the EPL] are English. The pool is reduced. I have had to reinstate a 37 year old goalkeeper but I have spotted one in the Under-21s who is very interesting,” Capello told Italy’s Radio Anch’io.

The Under-21s goalkeeper that he was talking about is Manchester City’s Joe Hart. It can be inferred from Capello’s comments and actions — this was not the first time he praised the young Mancunian — that he may be selected for England’s next friendly on the 26th of March in France.

The sooner somebody can establish themselves as the first-choice English goalkeeper, the better. England has been lacking a consistent goalkeeper since David Seaman retired from international football in 2002. Seaman accumulated 75 caps in his international career, leading the Three Lions to a semi-final appearance in Euro 96 and a quarter-final defeat in World Cup 2002. On both occasions, they were beaten by the eventual champions.

Under David James and Paul Robinson (whose 36 and 41 caps respectively only outnumber David Seaman’s caps by one), England has only reached the quarter-finals of World Cup 2006, and failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon has won 80 caps and a World Cup at both full national team and U-21 levels. Brazil has won the World Cup, Confederations Cup, Copa America, and U-21 World Cup with Dida between the sticks, the latter earning 91 caps in the process. Oliver Kahn carried Germany to the 2002 World Cup final and also starred for the team in their Euro 96 tournament win, earning 86 caps in his career.

The lesson from the above paragraph is that consistency breeds success. At the top of the national team level, which is where all of the above mentioned countries are, the little things are what seperates teams from one another.

Although squad rotation may have its benefits for the field players, I believe that continuity is a must for the goalkeeper position to keep the squad in balance. Mostly, it comes down to player preference. If the starting goalkeeper doesn’t have the support of the other ten men on the pitch (especially the back three or four), then the team will not play up to their potential.

David James’ Secret Weapon Is Sports Psychology?

Possibly one of the best ways to treat the slings and arrows of poor goalkeeping performance is a visit to the sports shrink? At least that is what England and Pompey No.1 David James recommends. In James’ own words:

“I do it in the hotel room before the game, do it on the bus and do it on the pitch…” (Source: BBC Sport, 19th Feb, 2008)

Ok then, thanks for the details David!

Now, before I remind you all to get your mind out of the gutter, I think that what James is recommending is spot on…the sports psychology thing, that is (ahem).

On a serious note, what James is alluding to in the above statement is mental preparation, and it is the life blood of goalkeeping success. Elite clubs utilize sports psychologists in a big way. When you think of the mental pressure of international performance, the heavy weighting of chasing the big dollars and shiny silverware in European competition, and the demands of club investors, officials and fans relying on your performance to keep them in the top flight, then you can begin to see the importance of sports psychology for the competitive goalkeeper.

Sports psychology, especially when it comes to the performance of the competitive goalkeeper is a massive tool to utilize, when you consider how blunders can be amplified many times over in the international spotlight and the effect these mistakes can have on the goalkeeper and the team unit as a whole.

When considering the ramifications of costly blunders, a sports psychologist will look at a few key tools in their diagnosis and assessment, following is some terminology that sports psychologists utilize when trying to help iron out weaknesses in an athletes performance:

• Cohesion – What Factors contributed to an individual or team success?
• Imagery – Using your mental imagery to enhance your performance.
• Attention Focus – Being able to block everything out, e.g., a crowd.
• Motivation – There are two types of motivation: intrinsic motivation, meaning inner motivation, e.g., self accomplishment, and extrinsic motivation, meaning outer motivation, e.g., money or awards.

(Source: Wikipedia; Sports Psychology).

One key concept to grasp is that of “resilience” which relates to the need for a goalkeeper to “…remain composed, confident and consistent in the face of errors.” Solomon, G.B. Overcoming Performance Errors with Resilience, (Association for Applied Sports Psychology). Being able to get focused on the next task at hand during the competitive match, focusing on positive aspects of your game and learning from mistakes as an opportunity to grow and exceed in your position.

Another great concept to utilize is ARSE…as in, get your “ARSE” in gear! Developed by Solomon & Becker (2004), it adheres to the following principles, and although originally developed for softball players, can easily be adhered to by the competitive goalkeeper:

Visiting a qualified sports psychologist when you’re game is in the doldrums, is a sure way of getting back on track, re-focused and playing to the best of your ability. If it is good enough for the best goalkeepers in the game to help them enhance their performance, then it is sure enough good for players at any level get to the next echelon of their development.

If Spiderman Was a Goalkeeper He Would Be Jeremie Janot

French goalkeeper Jeremie Janot pretty much typifies crazy goalkeeping. Playing his entire career with AS Saint-Etienne from the youth team, even throughout relegation, this shot stopping maestro has clocked up 1534 minutes (Source: Wikipedia.org) without letting a goal slip through his fingers at home. Janot was named French “goalkeeper of the year” for the 2006-2007 season.

Janot is known for some crazy antics and a passionate disliking for Olympique Lyonnais, so much so that he thought about wearing an AC Milan jersey after Milan had knocked out Lyon from the Champions League. Janot also has a penchant for dress up, donning a Spider Man outfit against FC Istres in 2005, mask and all! Add the fact that Janot is crazy about mixed martial arts, and you can begin to imagine just what happens when he gets in between the sticks.

Following is a video, many may have seen before, but regardless gives you a great insight into Janot’s ability, reflexes and just a little more of his craziness…all the qualities necessary for a great goalkeeper or comic book character.

5 Tips To Help Goalkeepers Get Over The Injury Hurdle.

With news of Dida and Kalac of AC Milan succumbing to injury over the last week or so, it serves as a wake up call for many goalkeepers to not forget that injury can and does happen. Just last night I got hit like a freight train…cold chills, nausea, the whole nine yards. It was my body’s way of telling me to take a step back, and help it recover after weeks of intense training.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve upped my intensity into overload, to the point that I had tonnes of painful lactic acid floating around my body. Now the lactic acid came from very intense weight training, throw in a few screaming kids and the day job and over a short period of time you can have some serious trouble, and this is without any goalkeeper specific training!

The body has some brilliant feedback mechanisms developed over millions of years of evolution that give you an insight into how your body feels at any point in time. Yank the chain too much and then the pieces begin to fall apart, keep a fine balance in check and you have a strong and healthy body year round. One of the most significant ways to maximize goalkeeping performance is to have a few aces under your sleeve.

Following are 5 surefire ways to keep in super shape all year round and help maximize your performance without succumbing to painful injuries that can wayside your goalkeeping ability for a long time:

1. Periodization Is Everything: Periodization is not complex, in fact, having a detailed plan that changes constantly over the competitive season is the most powerful way to curb the effects of injury and help enhance your performance. Start with shaping your year, and then working backward, right down to a day to day regime that constantly evolves throughout the training year. There are many forms of periodization, but the most common is step-like periodization that allows for a three week block of increasing intensity, followed by a fourth week drop in intensity, followed again by an increase in intensity in the fifth week, and on it goes.

2. Change Everything…Everyday: In line with the concept of periodization, is the need for constant change in your training regime. The body has a beautiful way of adapting to change. Focus on just one body part forever, without any change in intensity or exercise type, you hit a brick wall in your development. For your body to constantly grow and adapt you will need to be able to constantly change exercise types and training intensities. With that said, there are hundreds of training prescriptions you can use to help your body to constantly evolve, from super sets (working two opposing muscle groups), to super heavy (heaps of weight and low reps), the choices are endless and should be aligned with your goals for the competitive season.

3. Rest Days Are The Best Days: If you don’t have scheduled days for rest in your plan you WILL over-train your body. Don’t think that a 7 day, super intense regime is the way to super huge gains in your goalkeeping ability. In fact, training constantly without rest will reverse any benefit you wish to gain from your training program. With that said, get at the very least one active rest day every week, even more than just one day if you are training super heavy or intense.

4. Don’t Just Stop: The very worst thing you can do when it comes to your goalkeeping development is stopping dead in your tracks. Muscles begin to atrophy (lose condition) after a couple of weeks of inactivity. Make sure you have active rest days in your training week, that allow you to recover without losing any form. Doing activities apart from the usual goalkeeping training regime will help develop muscles and benefit coordination that may have never been used outside of football alone. Try a pick up game of basketball or touch footie with your mates during rest days as a way of diversifying your training regime.

5. Your Body Is Your Temple: Getting into a “Zen-like” state of mind might be over the top, but meditation and remedial therapies are a brilliant way of getting your body into awesome condition. Schedule a day of total relaxation that includes massage, physiotherapy and regular shut eye (easier said than done in our hectic 9 to 5 world). Being able to get refocused, and give your muscles a much needed break from the everyday toil of training will help prevent overtraining, keep you re-invigorated and ready to take your goalkeeping performance to new heights.

Getting injured is really the result of continual stress on the body without a structured or detailed plan and/or significant rest. Creating a structured periodized plan, continually diversifying your training prescription, having active rest days and taking time for much needed relaxation away from the goal posts will significantly enhance performance. Apart from this, taking in the above advice will also help the competitive goalkeeper stay away from the dreaded injuries that may detract from their performance.

FA Cup Fifth Round Goalkeeper News

The magic of the FA Cup was on display once again this weekend, with a number of notable performances — some for the right reasons and some for the wrong reasons.

The big upset of the weekend was Championship side Barnsley defeating Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. Liverpool fielded a team that was considerably weaker than usual; Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres were missing, and so was Steven Gerrard until the last fifteen minutes.

Stand-in Liverpool goalkeeper Charles Itandje had a night he will soon want to forget, while on the other side of the pitch, Barnsley debutante Luke Steele had a sensational match. Steele denied the Liverpool attack with four or five outstanding saves, one of which is in the video below. Both of Barnsley’s goals were marginally saveable, the first of which was caused by Itandje’s hesitance on a cross, and the second of which beat the Frenchman near post.

Another notable performance was David James’ against Preston North End at Deepdale. The newly reinstated England goalkeeper saved a penalty on the hour mark, and Portsmouth went on to win on a last minute own goal. James’ role will not be overlooked in the important victory for the Toffeys, who look most likely to break the monotony of the Big Four in English football. As the season has progressed, I have grown more and more impressed with their attractive and entertaining football — everybody will remember their 7-4 victory over Reading in October, after which Marcus Hahnemann claimed he hadn’t been so disappointed in his goalkeeping in a long time.

The enchantment of the FA Cup lives on!

Profiles of the Legends: Lev Ivanovich Yashin, the Black Spider

Profiles of the Legends: Lev Ivanovich Yashin, the Black Spider
by Steve Amoia for Keeper Skool.

Lev Ivanovich Yashin, or in Russian, Лев Ива́нович Я́шин, set the modern standard for goalkeeping. For many fans and historians, he was the best to ever play the position. Despite being a fearless competitor, “The Black Spider” was a gentleman on the pitch. At every World Cup, FIFA honors the best keeper with the Lev Yashin Award to commemorate the leadership, sportsmanship, and talents of this great player.

Mr. Yashin was born in 1929 in Moscow. He died in 1990 after complications from a leg amputation. He played professionally for over 22 seasons, and represented the Soviet Union internationally for almost 15 years. He was a member of the Dinamo Moscow Sports Club; consequently, he played professional hockey and football. Similar to modern era greats such as Paolo Maldini of AC Milan, Ryan Giggs of Manchester United, and Raúl Gonazalez of Real Madrid, respectively, Mr. Yashin played his entire career at one professional club. He was 1.89 meters or almost 6′ 3″ in height. As a habit, he wore an all-black kit.

Commentary by Alexander Kashintsev, webmaster of Russian National Football Team.

“Yashin always was managing the defensive game of his team, so fierce that even his wife accused him of yelling too much at the pitch; however he hardly ever captained teams – to appoint a goalkeeper as a captain is a relatively new custom.

The great athlete, possessing an extraordinary reactions and courage, Yashin is said to save more than 150 penalties during his career.”

Professional Club

• Dinamo Moscow: 1949 to 1971.

Russian National Team

• 78 caps.
• 70 goals conceded.
• Goals against ratio: 0.90.

Career Honors

• Voted Goalkeeper of the 20th Century by IFFHS.
• 1956 Olympic Gold Medal winner at the Melbourne Games.
• 1960 European Nations Cup winner with the Soviet Union. This was the first time the event was held.
• 1963: First and only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’or (Golden Ball) by France Football Magazine.
• 1964: Silver Medal at the European Nations Cup.
• He competed at three World Cups: 1958, 1962, and 1966. He was the third keeper and an unofficial coach for the 1970 Soviet World Cup team. He had 4 clean sheets in 13 World Cup appearances.
• He won the USSR league title five times.
• 2000: FIFA World Keeper of the Century.
• 2000: Named Golden Player of Russia for the previous 50 years.

Famous Quotes About Saving Penalties

“To have a smoke to calm your nerves, then toss back a strong drink to tone your muscles.”

“The joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space is only superseded by the joy of a good penalty save.”

Source: Goalkeeping Museum, Lev Yashin.

Note: Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first human being to travel into outer space in 1961.

West Germany 2 x USSR 1 : Semi-finals of World Cup 1966 at Goodison Park, Liverpool

Here is a very intriguing video clip to give you a better idea of Mr. Yashin during a specific game. The USSR finished in fourth place, and that represented their best historical performance at the World Cup.

Steve Amoia is the author and editor of World Football Commentaries, and also writes for Soccerlens. He is the author of the World Cup History Test for Brainbench.

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